(This recipe was first featured for Meatout Mondays on the No Sweat, York, blog.)

I love burritos.

With Roburrito’s, Chipotle and Qdoba in the community, you can’t go wrong finding a burrito that is both vegan and hearty.

I eat Roburrito’s so often, some of the workers probably know me by name or by my order (“A vegan potato meal with ginger ale, please.”) I mix it up by going to different locations, so my addiction isn’t pronounced. (Though my favorite to-go is the East Market Street location, and my favorite sit-down place is the one in the New Eastern Market.)

Both places offer a style of burrito called a Mission burrito or San Francisco burrito — so named because it first became popular in the 1960s in the Mission district of San Francisco.

My square burrito. Photo by Bethany Fehlinger

The greatest part of this burrito? It is customizable. A few items are considered staples: a large, flour tortilla, rice, beans and salsa. There also can be a filling, such as a meat, fish, soy meat or potato, and then other add-ins such as sour cream, cheese, avocado or guacamole. Obviously, because I am vegan, there is no animal products or by-products. The burrito is still yummy and filling.

Traditionally it is wrapped in tinfoil and eaten right from there, peeling the layer back as you eat. However, since the homemade burritos are fresh, cut the foil and begin the feast! Plus, I seriously can’t fold a burrito correctly, so I just scarfed these up quickly.

A can of black beans and a cup of brown rice can probably make up to 5 Mission burritos.

Ingredients

1 bag of boil-in-a-bag brown rice

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 container of guacamole

1 jar of salsa, mild

1 package of Daiya cheese, cheddar or mozzarella

1 package of large, burrito-style white tortillas

Recipe

Cook the rice according to the package. It took me 10 minutes to boil the water, and 10 minutes to cook the rice.

Drain and rinse black beans. Place them in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Set up your station: Rice in one bowl, beans in another; guacamole, cheese and salsa opened and ready.

Put one tortilla on a plate and place in the microwave for 15 seconds. It makes the tortilla softer and easier to work with. If you have a tortilla steamer, use that instead.

Place close to 1/3 cup of rice in the middle of the tortilla. Place 1/4 cup of beans on top, then 1 heaping tablespoon of guacamole and salsa. Add about 1/8 cup of cheese.

Roll: Fold one side over the center until the filling is two-thirds covered. Tuck in the left and right sides. Roll the covered filling toward the last open side until the burrito is completely covered and rolled.

No. 1 — I planted my garden! Last year, one of our publications started the “Container Garden Chronicles.” Because I am on a new staff this year, I decided to participate. I have done container gardening before and have worked on Goldfinch CSA for two years (going on three!) so I hope I know what I am doing.

I have a tendency to kill plants, especially in containers. So that is why my tomatoes went into the ground instead. One of the bosses allowed us to plant in the ground on the side of the building. I also am going to plant beans and watermelon there. In the containers are lettuce and one pepper plant. Fingers crossed that I don’t kill them!

No. 2 — It is RAINING! Related to the planting, I have a hard time remembering to water my plants. It is a problem. My plants at home know how to survive without much water. Plus, it has been so hot and muggy outside the past few days, and very, very dry. This rain will break our heat wave and give my little plants a drink.

No. 3 — I can’t wait for Memorial Day weekend because I get to relax. Though, having a day off of work makes things stressful when I get back.

I had briefly heard about the phone hacking debacle from a few tweets and what not. What most people don’t know about journalists is, we really do live by the motto “keep calm and carry on.”

So, the government hacked the Associated Press’ phones? That’s crappy! But now I have to go cover the council meeting/children’s play/downtown march and I don’t have time to sit here and spew hate against the government. I HAVE NEWS TO COVER!

And then two weeks go by, and we think, “What was that phone hacking thing again? The IRS is trying to defame our good name in Benghazi?”

Though, in all seriousness, this issue, on top of the other scandals bursting at the seams, is just another violation that needs to be addressed.

I stand by the First Amendment rights, even when I am upset and angry at the other point of view, even when that other point of view might be wrong or someone just trying to be popular/make money/be a troll. (Westboro Baptist Church, anyone?)

And what I care about, REALLY, REALLY care about, is freedom of the press. Maybe it is because I love my job so much, and maybe because yellow journalism is a thing of the past (right?), but we are civil servants who try to educate and inform the populace. Journalists don’t get paid very well (at least in newspapers), so we must REALLY love our job to stick with it for 20, 30, 40 or more years. (I have NO idea how long my boss Jim has been a journalist, but I could totally be his granddaughter.)

So, what the Department of Justice violated a law — a very old law that has been here since the beginning of our great nation, and the FIRST law, of all things!

(This recipe was first featured for Meatout Mondays on the No Sweat, York, blog.)

Delaware has a special place in my heart.

My family would vacation in Delaware (Bethany Beach!) often when I was growing up. We stayed in Ocean City, Md., quite a few times, but I remember the first time we stayed at Bethany Beach at a condo complex. It was pure bliss for me. I miss going down there, and I am hopefully planning a trip for this summer.

Delaware, like any coastal city, is known for its seafood. This is why I chose crab puffs for this state.

When I made this dish, it was for a Thirty-One party I had in January.

I didn’t have a lot of time to create these crab puffs, and if you wanted them to look more like hushpuppies, that wouldn’t fly. (Hushpuppies remind me of Long John Silver’s!) Then I stumbled upon this recipe by Pillsbury and rejoiced. Many of Pillsbury’s products are vegan friendly, which is helpful for making a last-minute pizza or finger food for a party.

These cute little puffs can be a great dish for dinner, paired with a fresh salad or sauteed veggies. It only dirtied two bowls and a cookie tray, and took about 30 minutes to make.

In a medium bowl, pour in drained chickpeas and mash until desired consistency. Add garlic and hot sauce or chili powder and stir. (If you have kelp powder or another seaweed powder and want a more sea-like taste, add a generous teaspoon.)

If using fake egg, follow directions on the container and make one egg. (I usedVegg, which gave the dish an eggy flavor. But it is not needed to keep the filling together.) Add Vegenaise to the bowl and mix.

Thing No. 1 — I’m back! Yes, I know, I am a horrible blogging person. I abandoned all of you.

You see, I blog. A lot. You might not notice it, but if you went to Yorkblog.com (specifically Twenty & Change, Book Buzz, No Sweat, York, and Smart Magazine), you would see my blogs up there weekly, for most of them. I do a Meatout Mondays post, a Comic Book Wednesday post and a green living post on Thursdays. I try to write about living life in my 20s, but I am quite boring.

Which led me to abandon Wonder Vegan, because I am just boring. Sorry.

But now I am back, and I am going to try and make this blog useful. Will you still follow me?

Thing No. 2 — The monthly vegan meetup was this week. We met Tuesday at Ladybug Baking Company and Cafe on Beaver Street in York. Jessica, the owner, was kind enough to open her shop outside of normal business hours so we could meet and enjoy vegan, yummy food here in York. A big THANK YOU to Jessica for hosting us!

Next month we hope to do a potluck again, but we will see. Details are being finalized.

Baby brother, baby sister and me

Thing No. 3 — My baby brother is graduating college on Saturday! I can’t believe he is 22 years old and stands a full 6 to 7 inches taller than me. And now, the baby bro is going to be a teacher! (At least if he can find a job soon. Boo, recession!)

The baby sister is finishing up her second year at college and looking for a summer job. It is the mad dash time of year, which is something I haven’t experienced in a few years.

I hope you will join me again and read my posts. I welcome suggestions!